5 Countries that do not Celebrate the New Year on January 1

Recently in Saudi Arabia officially banned celebrate the New Year. But this state – is not the only one of those where our traditional New Year’s Eve goes completely unnoticed. New Year on January 1 is not celebrated in many countries.

New Year’s Eve people drink champagne our latitudes, is launching colorful fireworks and eat “Olivier”. It seemed the whole world at this moment celebrating the New Year. But this is not so. Somewhere thousands of miles an ordinary Indian or Iranian quietly snoring in the New Year’s Eve – in the morning he will have a normal working day.

From this edition, you’ll learn about the top 5 countries for which January 1 – not a holiday.

1. Saudi Arabia

The religious police in Saudi Arabia Al Mutawa warned citizens and resident aliens in the Kingdom of the ban on New Year’s celebration. A special unit of law enforcement, notifying the inadmissibility of celebration, guided fatwa (religious injunction in Islam), published by the Supreme Committee of the Saudi ulema (Islamic preachers), since Muslims follow the lunar calendar.

Police officers turn to shops selling flowers and gifts, so that there were not selling a number of products which can be purchased on the occasion of this celebration. Al Mutawa is closely monitoring the implementation of rules in a purely conservative Saudi Arabia. Often, however, recorded cases of abuse of power on the part of the agency, which, in particular, resulted in casualties.

New year in the Islamic calendar is celebrated on the vernal equinox on March 21, which corresponds to almost always the first day of the holy month of Muharram. Chronology is from the Hegira (July 16, 622 BC. E.) – Date of the resettlement of the Prophet Muhammad and the first Muslims from Mecca to Medina.

2. Israel

In Israel, too, January 1 normal working day, unless of course the first day of the new year does not happen on Saturday – a sacred day for the Jews. Celebrate their new year as the Israelites fall – the new moon of Tishrei on the Jewish calendar (September or October). This holiday is called Rosh Hashanah. It is celebrated 2 days. And with its celebration in Israel associated with many traditions, rituals and ceremonies.

As a rule, the tradition of celebrating the New Year in the sense in which it understands in Europe and in North America, living in Israel support the Russian diaspora. And here everyone gets out, he can. People try to take time off work and traditionally celebrate the holiday with family and friends. Someone is going home, and someone goes to a Russian restaurant.

Some Israelis believe that celebrating celebrate the day of St. Sylvester Catholic, which falls on December 31. Therefore, the country is often called the New Year “Sylvester.”

3. Iran

January 1 – not a holiday in Iran. Country living at its own calendar. For example, now in Iran is 1392. The Iranian calendar or Solar Hijra – astronomical solar calendar, which was developed with the participation of Omar Khayyam, and since then several times specified.

New Year is celebrated in Iran on the calendar on the first day of spring, which corresponds to March 22 of the Gregorian calendar. New Year holiday in Iran called Nowruz (or Norouz), and the first month of spring called Favardin.

Incidentally, Nowruz celebrated not only in Iran but also in many countries, where had fairly “inherits” the ancient Persians. For example, with Nowruz begins year in Afghanistan. Par on January 1, celebrate Nowruz in Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Albania and Macedonia.

4. India

In India many multicultural festivals that if would all celebrate it would work once. Therefore, some of them became “holidays by choice.” These days all the agencies and offices are open, but employees can take time off. It refers to such holidays January 1.

In addition, the Indian subcontinent, there are several options in the New Year celebration.

March 22 begins the New Year in a single national calendar of India. In Maharashtra it is celebrated Gudi Padwa called, and in Andhra Pradesh his name Ugadi. In Kerala celebrate the New Year on April 13. It is called Vishu. Sikhs in the day celebrating their New Year – Vaysakhi. In South India, the fall is widely celebrate Divapali, and that means the new year.

5. China

New Year – China (where he is now called Yuan-tribute) it takes quite unnoticed. Only in major department stores and shopping centers, paying tribute to Western traditions, put somewhere shiny artificial Christmas trees and Santa Claus doll, and the Chinese sent their Western friends electronic Christmas cards. Yes, and it is done for Christmas, and not the New Year.

“Yuan-tribute” – means the first, the initial day of the year (Yuan – means “beginning”, a tribute – “Dawn”, or simply “day”). New Year in China until the 20th century was reckoned by the lunar, not by our usual calendar, and Yuan-tribute celebrated for the first day of the first lunar month.

September 27, 1949 the Government of the newly established People’s Republic of China decided to call the first day of the lunar calendar “Spring Festival” (Chun Jie), and January 1 for the western calendar – “Yuan-tribute.” Since that time, January 1 became an official state holiday in China. But even today, the Chinese still do not celebrate this day, not perceiving it as a holiday, which marks the change years. “Western” New Year – not a competitor to the lunar, or Spring Festival.